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Du Maurier is best known for his illustrations in ‘Punch’, a weekly magazine established in 1841 known for its witty political and social commentary, and also later as a novelist. He was born in Paris, and after his early studies was dispatched to London by his father to study chemistry, a subject in which the young du Maurier had little interest. He soon returned to Paris and studied art in the studio of Charles Gleyre, and from there went to Antwerp. Sadly it was here that he lost the sight in his left eye, which dashed his hopes of becoming a painter.
However he was able to work as an illustrator, and returned to English to work for Punch which he joined in 1864. Possessing a natural talent for drawing and a discerning eye for detail, his illustrations were enormously successful. He playfully attacked the foibles of the nouveau riche and fashionable London society. His delicate drawings were often accompanied by extensive texts that reveal his understanding of wider cultural issues, some of which remain pertinent to this day.
After his eyesight in his remaining eye worsened, he stopped illustrating and found considerable success as a novelist, with works such as ‘Peter Ibbetson’ and ‘Trilby’. This illustration was shown in a memorial show in the Fine Art Society in 1897.
Medium: Pencil and chalk
Signed: Signed and bears old label verso
Size: 29 x 19cm
Provenance: The Estate of John Guest of Penguin books,
The Fine Art Society, 1897